NCCAA National Tournament Quarterfinal: #4 Mid-America Christian University vs. #8 Roberts Wesleyan College
When: Thursday, Mar. 14. Time: 7:30 a.m. (CST). Location: Winona Lake, Ind.
Live Video: http://www.tourbeausportsgroup.com/p/201.html
Where to watch: MACU watch party in the cafeteria at 7:30 a.m.
Official NCCAA National Tournament Page:
http://www.grace.edu/athletics/nccaa
What's at stake: It'll be an early morning battle between the fourth-seeded Mid-America Christian University Evangels and the eighth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks. The winner gets a shot at fifth place Friday night (Mar. 15) at 6 p.m. (CST), while the loser will play in the seventh-place game Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. (CST).
The Dish on the Evangels: The Evangels ran up against a hot-shooting Shorter University Hawks in the first game of the NCCAA Tournament Wednesday (Mar. 13). The Hawks shot 52.2 percent (35-of-67) and were led by Anthony Banks's double-double of 33 points and 15 rebounds. The Hawks pulled away in the first half to an 18-point lead at the break and built the lead to 24 in the second half, before the Evangels fought back to within 12 but could get no closer. Charlie Shorter led the Evangels with 31 points, including 25 in the second half. Angelo Lewis scored 18 and Reggie Davis had team-highs of 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Shorter, the SAC Player of the Year and NCCAA Central Regional Co-MVP, currently leads the SAC and is second in NAIA Division I in scoring with 23.1 points per game. Angelo Lewis leads the league in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.513), while Camilo Valencia has dished out a team-high 3.8 assists per game this season.
The Dish on the Redhawks: The Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks gave top-seeded Fresno Pacific University all it wanted throughout in the opening game Wednesday, but ultimately fell short 113-101. The Redhawks are led by Devin Grimes, who leads the way in both points (14.3 ppg) and rebounds (11.5 rpg). Mike Stone is third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and has a team-high 61 assists.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 40th season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 767 career victories rank first in school history and second all-time in the NAIA. He guided the Evangels to their first-ever NAIA Top 25 ranking this season, climbing as high as No. 23. He has also led the Evangels to their 20th Central Regional title this year and their 22nd NCCAA National Tournament appearance. Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the SAC, as for the second straight year, Holley kept the Evangels in the hunt for a Sooner Athletic Conference postseason tournament berth until the final day of the season. MACU more than doubled its win total over its first two seasons with 13 conference victories in the 2009-10 season and achieved a landmark victory at defending NAIA National Champion Oklahoma Baptist during the 2010-11 season.
Rob McCoy is in his 11th season at the helm of Roberts Wesleyan College. McCoy was named the NCCAA East Region Coach of the Year for the 2009-10 season and then the American Mideast Conference Coach of the Year in 2010-11. He has led the Redhawks to a pair of NCCAA Final Four appearances, most recently in the 2010-11 season.
